One Down

The first semester of my Nutritional Medicine course is now complete!

Disappointingly, and only because I set myself a goal, the mark for my final assessment was only 88% which is graded as a Distinction. I wanted to get High Distinctions for all of my assignments and it was a stupid typo that lost me the points, so it was a hard lesson learned.

I must check, double check and triple check my work before submitting it!

However, overall, my average mark is 96% and I'm pretty happy with that.

I never imagined, as I began this course, that I could do this well .. but now that I have proven that I CAN, I expect to continue to do so!

For now, I wait to receive my new subjects and lesson plans for the second semester.

We've had a quiet day at home with intermittent rain periods. We hope that the weather will improve tomorrow so that we can fill the day with some touristy activities before Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour head home on Monday.

I really must get some photos of everyone before they head home.

If you are wondering why there was no blog post yesterday .. we attended the Bowls Club last night for the usual raffles and drinks, and then continued on to the restaurant for a farewell dinner for Mrs Bucket and The Jockey.

We shared too much wine and by the time we arrived home, I was both too tipsy and too tired to stay up blogging.

But a good time was had by all!

Adoring Husband and I are watching one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, so I'm off to become absorbed.

Nite all.

Try it

Some time ago, I watched a video of this Dr talking about her MS and how she had reversed the symptoms and changed her life .. I guess she inspired me to change my diet/lifestyle with the hopes of improving my health and stopping, or slowing down the ageing process, which was beginning to hinder me somewhat.

I've enjoyed the positive effects of my new eating regime. Luckily for me, my minimal ageing problems were nothing compared to Dr Wahl's, but I thought I would share her story with you.

Dr Wahl's story

I had a quiet afternoon studying, while the rest of the family went for a drive to Maryborough and Lenthalls Dam. Bubbles got some good photos and I ALMOST finished my assignment. I think it will take another couple of hours tomorrow to finish up.

It's almost midnight and while I am really enjoying listening to some Classic Rock music on Foxtel, I think it's time to turn it off and climb into bed. Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Midnight Oil, George Thorogood and Bob Dylan .. it's been a joy spending the evening with you!

Nite all.

Fabulousness

As much as 'Knight in Shining Armour' complained about having to get out of bed while it was still dark outside, it was a beautiful day when the sun did eventually rise, we had a relatively traffic-friendly trip down to the Sunny Coast and the day could be classified as a SUCCESS!

The Eumundi Markets were surprisingly busy for a Wednesday and for the time of year.

I got some goat's milk soap. Honey and Lemon Myrtle. Coconut and Mint. Lemon and Lime.

Adoring Husband bought me a beautiful original painting of an owl by the artist Tracey Keller whose work I absolutely love. It's so full of fun and happiness and vibrant colour! The owl now hangs on the wall opposite my side of the bed, so it's the first thing I see when I wake in the mornings :)

The man who sold it to us, gave me a free copy of a book created by Katrina Logan and Tracey Keller together. I will give it to Chicklet at my next visit, along with the dinosaur night light that I bought.

I also bought some lovely fresh vegetables at the markets and a delicious noodle salad for a morning snack.

After a couple of hours at the markets, we drove to meet up with Chicklet and Vegan Chickie at a little cafe at the front of their block of units and then spent about 90 minutes over a leisurely lunch.

It was nice to spend time with Chicklet and also nice to have some family time together.

Before we started the long drive home, we detoured via the Chicklet family's new house, which they will move into this weekend, so the next time I visit, they will be at the new address.

It looks like a really nice little area, with a park nearby and lots of trees and bushland. A nature lovers paradise I should imagine! I can't wait to see inside.

It was a good drive home. We stopped at Tiaro to get some meat from the Butcher's for dinner and discovered that a juice van had caught fire across the road to cause quite a commotion and gather a decent crowd of onlookers (which you can't see in this photo)!

The quote on the side of the juice van read "Don't ya wish your campa was hot like me". I'm pretty sure they didn't mean it in the literal sense of the word!! Not quite that hot!

Tonight, after dinner, we sat around the dinner table and played some trivia and then Celebrity Head, which was a lot of fun. Laughter to the point of tears is always hilarious.

It's almost 10.30pm and I think I need to find my way to bed, in fact, I think I'm the last one left awake!

Tomorrow, I simply must spend the day doing my final assignment for Nutrition 1, which is also the final assignment for this semester.

Oh I almost forgot to mention that I got 100% for the video assignment that I submitted last Friday! It was the final assignment for the 'Communication' subject, and my total mark overall, was 98%, which is a High Distinction. I'm feeling pretty happy with that!

I will be very relieved when I complete the last assignment for the semester and I look forward to seeing what my next three subjects will be. I have a sneaking suspicion that I've had it pretty easy for the first semester and the next subjects will be nasty .. like .. anatomy, chemistry and biology. Ugh!!

I'll keep you posted.

Nite all.

A Bit of Market Fun

We are heading for a drive down to the Sunny Coast very bright and early tomorrow morning to check out the Eumundi Markets and then visit Vegan Chickie and Chicklet.

This means that I should go straight to bed because we need to leave around the time that the sun rises!

Eep!

Today we saw the movie "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes". The car had to go in for a 'recall' check, so while we waited, a movie seemed like the best option.

The movie was not my cup of tea.

Tomorrow will be exhausting for us all, however, I am really looking forward to seeing my Chicklet family.

Nite all.

Vet Visit

Anybody out there ever have to squeeze your own dog's anal glands? Ew

I got a lesson from the vet today in how to massage the anal glands which are situated at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock near the opening of the dog's anus.

I am, at this moment, imagining the look on your face as you read this post. *insert smiley face here* hehehe.

One of the psychotic dogs had a visit to the vet today and it cost me $65 for that lesson!

Adoring Husband looked the other way, because he didn't want to know.

Tomorrow will be a movie day while the car goes in for a 'recall' fix. Hmmm popcorn :)

Nite all.

Hol Mode

There are two types of holidays.

One is intense and busy and so full of activity that you need a holiday to get over your holiday.

The second is so relaxed and quiet and a perfect opportunity to regenerate and rejuvenate and listen to what your brain wants you to hear.

So far, Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour are experiencing the second type.

By the end of this week, they will have experienced the first type.

Hopefully the last couple of days will be rejuvenating time again, before they head back home to the hustle and bustle of city life and normalcy.

Bubbles and I spent a bit over an hour walking the lagoon and the beach trying to find some photographic opportunities this afternoon, but it seemed that the local wildlife went for a nana nap. We got some nice afternoon light, but nothing much to specifically photograph.

Hopefully, we will have more opportunities this week.

Meanwhile I am trying to sneak some study in and finish my next assignment. It may be a little more complex than I expected. Eep!

I'll get there.

Nite all.

Bake Off

Today, after hilariously grooming the other two psychotic dogs, we decided on some time in the kitchen.

I made a paleo chocolate mousse, but used a different recipe to last time, this one containing dates, that just didn't want to process in the food processor, and then it was even a struggle in the blender, so NO dates next time!

Then the kids made some chocolate mud cake cupcakes and muffins.

Home made pizzas for dinner and super Saturday footy on Foxtel tonight. I am having a poor week in the tipping competition, but it was enjoyable seeing Newcastle Knights pip Melbourne Storm at the post .. especially because Knight in Shining Armour is a Newcastle Knights supporter!

I think that I have yawned at least 33 times in the last hour, so I believe that's my cue to go to bed!

Bubbles and I will be taking our cameras on a photographic jaunt very shortly, so hopefully I will get to share some photos. It's the super moon, full moon tomorrow night and I have some ideas. Whether they come to fruition or not, is another matter!

So watch this space!

Nite all.

Results

After what seemed to be a very very long 72 hours, we finally heard from the doctor today, advising that Adoring Husband's tumour was 'low grade malignant' and that he didn't need any further treatment like chemo or anything, but would need to go back in three months to have further procedures to check on both his bladder and his prostate.

I am ecstatic with this outcome and hopeful that AH will grow healthier over the next 3 months so that no further treatment will be necessary.

The whole experience has been painful, embarrassing and uncomfortable for poor AH and we'll be happy when he is feeling 100%.

Thank you to everyone who sent good wishes. It was lovely to have such wonderful support from friends and family. It made the ordeal just a little more bearable. We appreciate you all very much.

I'm also happy to say that I submitted my video assignment on time this evening .. with a couple of hours to spare! Now we wait and see.

Lastly, I am very excited that Manly lost to South Sydney tonight and that my team, Brisbane Broncos had a fabulous win over Canterbury Bulldogs! A great way to start the weekend :)

Nite all.

No News

No news yet on Adoring Husband's test results.

Today, with the help of Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour, I completed my video presentation for the next assignment.

Tomorrow morning I will write the 300 word critique to go with it and submit it as early as possible to get it out of the way and then I can enjoy some time with the family before I need to submit the next assignment.

I actually only have 11 days to get the next one completed, which is a pain, because I thought I had until 25th. Ugh!

My other achievement for the day was grooming one of the psychotic dogs.  It took over 2 hours with lots of bribes and yet more assistance from the family.

The other two dogs will have to wait a day or two for their pampering.

So after all of that, I'm feeling quite exhausted .. especially after waking at 6am and having to start the day doing Adoring Husband's work for him.

We have big plans for tomorrow, so it's time for me to sleep.

Nite all.

Mending

Adoring Husband arrived home on the train tonight after his tests in Brisbane.

The surgeon removed a tumour from his bladder which has been sent for testing and we should have the results within 48 hours of the surgery .. so I guess that means some time tomorrow or the next day, because his surgery was quite late on Tuesday.

His prostate will be monitored and will be tested again in 3 months.

Needless to say, he is feeling a little the worse for wear at the moment and will probably need some TLC for a few days.

That's where I come in :)

Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour are here!  Yay!

We've had an afternoon of Rubber Ducky birthday fun .. that's the theme that I chose for Bubbles' birthday party and you know .. I didn't take a photo of the birthday cake or the cupcakes that I made or the decorations or the hundred rubber duckies or the hundred+ yellow and red balloons.

Knight in Shining Armour has made a few changes to my script for my video assignment and we are going to act it out tomorrow, then I can write my essay to go with it and have it submitted before midnight on Friday.

Let's hope it goes smoothly!

Anyway, once again, it is after midnight, so I'm off to bed. AH is not up to working tomorrow morning, so I need to be awake in less than 6 hours. Eep!

Nite all.

Recovery

Adoring Husband has survived his medical tests today and is resting with a little discomfort in hospital tonight.

The doctor will visit him tomorrow to give him the results, diagnosis and prognosis.

I will keep you informed.

Looking forward to seeing Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour tomorrow!

Nite all.

Making a List

I've just made a list of all the things that I have to do tomorrow.

NOT on my list, is cleaning the shop loos and attending two morning teas, which I also have to do tomorrow!

The rest of the stuff .. and there are 19 items on my to-do list .. has to be done after lunch and first thing on Wednesday morning.

I'm not feeling confident.

I've convinced Bubbles to help me with the video assignment for my course, so that has to be done on Wednesday afternoon .. after that is completed, I have to find 300 words to critique myself as an interviewing therapist.

Anyway, I need to go to bed. I have to set my alarm for 4.30am, so that means I should get around four hours sleep tonight.

Ugh.

Nite all.

Big Week

Adoring Husband and I have a big week ahead of us.

A couple of weeks ago, AH's doctor told him that the results of his scan came back with some questionable results and that he thought he had bladder cancer.

As you can imagine, this was very shocking news to both of us, and at the time, I had just arrived on the Sunny Coast, so we weren't even together to absorb and discuss this turn of events.

Last Tuesday, we travelled to Brisbane to visit with a specialist and after he looked at all of AH's test results and asked a few questions, he told us that he didn't think AH had bladder cancer, however, he was concerned with his prostate readings.

So he is following up both possibilities, and this week AH is spending a night in a Brisbane hospital to have the follow up tests for both bladder and prostate cancer.

I am feeling positive and hopeful that the results of these tests will be clear.

While I can't even entertain the idea that we will have to deal with the worst case scenario, AH's mindset is different, which is to be expected, because this is his experience and everybody deals with this kind of experience in their own way.

He is focussed on all the worst possible outcomes and I am focussed on the way his current GP has let him down .. but I shall save that for another post on another day!

The second big event happening this week is Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour arriving on Wednesday for two weeks!

Adoring Husband is especially looking forward to it because he gets to visit Fraser Island with them to do a 4WD tour. I don't enjoy that kind of thing, so I will save my excitement for the whale watching tour instead!

We are really looking forward to seeing them both and hope that we can show them a great time!

Having had an early night last night and sleeping for 8 hours, I think I would like to get into the habit of earlier nights. My brain and my body seemed to be quite thankful for the extended rest period :)

So I shall sign off now .. at 10.20pm .. and make my way towards the bedroom.

Nite all.

Productive

We had Sweet Potato patties with our chicken wings at lunch time. They were very nice, but I needed to make them a bit earlier to cool the potato mix in the fridge properly before forming the patties.

I will try them again and take photos and share the recipe next time!

I got a bit more of my assignment done .. not a lot because my brain was still suffering the effects of 5 glasses of wine the night before! I didn't feel hungover (in the usual sense of the word) but I did feel a little scrambled.

So much to do, so little time!

.. and for my positive take on what tomorrow will bring ..

Only 4 more sleeps til Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour arrive! Wahoo!

I do believe the weather has turned a little chilly this evening. Time to put the big UGH boots on!

Or perhaps it's time for bed .. 8.30pm .. it's been a long time since I went to bed THAT early!

Nite all.

TGIF

I really look forward to Friday nights at the local Bowls Club with our friends.

The Bowls Club has a badge draw, lotsapots draw, $100 club and the weekly raffles, all on a Friday night.

Just about everyone at our table won something tonight, except Adoring Husband and I, which is unusual in itself, because Adoring Husband is known as the 'raffle king' and wins regularly.

We all had dinner in the restaurant together, after the raffles, because Lady Lynn and Happy Harry are off on holidays for a couple of weeks.

I had an extra glass of wine tonight, which made me extra chatty! I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I had fun, so I don't care if everyone else struggled with my chattiness.

I did get a good chunk of my video assignment done today .. none of the video itself, but I laid out the basic plan and wrote the script for my role play. I also discovered that the assignment is due on the 8th August and not the 5th as I first thought .. which gives me an extra 3 days to procrastinate!

Wahoo!

I took some photos this morning, but once again haven't looked at them yet, so if any of them are worth sharing, you'll see them tomorrow.

Ten minutes til midnight .. I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Annie

I recorded a program on the Studio channel early yesterday morning on the famous photographer Annie Leibovitz. She began her career with Rolling Stone magazine and moved to Vanity Fair and she also took the very last photograph of John Lennon just 5 hours before he died ...

and you all remember the pregnant and naked Demi Moore!

I think Annie is beautiful .. she reminds me of a cross between Barbra Streisand and Julia Roberts.

She makes me want to be a portrait photographer!

So, after Adoring Husband arrived home from his SES meeting, we spent the the rest of the evening watching that program.

It's almost midnight and I seriously want to pick up my camera and go wake people up to photograph them!

Unfortunately, I didn't get another photo for the symmetry challenge and now the challenge is over. There are some great entries (and some not so great), however, I don't stand a chance this month. The winner will be announced next Monday .. I have my favourites picked out already.

I think I have stretched my procrastinating to it's very limits and tomorrow I simply MUST get serious about my video assignment. Wish me luck!

Nite all.

Symmetry

I'm struggling to find the right pic for the 'symmetry' challenge this month.

Here is the front runner at the moment .. with only 24 hours left for submissions!

I'm not completely happy with it, so I am still searching the universe for something else. I have two more ideas which I will try tomorrow, but I'm not feeling confident.

The video presentation for my next assignment is also swirling around in my head, so the brain needs to go into overdrive and I simply MUST get creative and stop procrastinating.

I'm looking forward to morning tea tomorrow, with a friend who I haven't spent time with in a while (more procrastinating?).

Now, I'm off to watch a little more of the Commonwealth Games before bed.

Nite all.

Quick Pics

Just quickly sharing some pics tonight ...

Crested Hawk (aka Pacific Basa)

Cauliflower and fresh turmeric soup with walnuts

Chocolate cake sandwich with chocolate mousse, cream and strawberries

Nite all.

Grounding or Earthing

Walking bare foot on the earth.

Kick your shoes off and spend half an hour in your garden or walk on the beach or play frisbee in the park or splash in muddy puddles!

History shows that humans once had constant contact with the earth. That was before shoes, floors, bitumen, rugs and all those things that now separate us from bare ground.

There have been, and are currently, multiple studies documenting the improvement in balance, stress, sleep, heart health and blood viscosity, among other things, when grounding is practised.

Earthing allows a transfer of electrons (the Earth’s natural, subtle energy) into the body.

Inflammation is caused by free radicals and they are neutralised with electrons from any source, so this is where grounding will be beneficial in easing, healing or improving all manner of different ailments and illnesses.

Earthing restores natural self-healing and self-regulating mechanisms.

If you really want to get into the nitty gritty (pardon the pun) of earthing, then go here, where you will find lots of detailed information.

For more studies and some interesting videos that show how grounding works, go here.

You must admit, you always feel good after a long bare-foot walk along the beach. The sand grinding between our toes and the fresh, cool, salty water cleansing our feet.

I know I'll be doing that more often and I hope to drag Adoring Husband along to enjoy the benefits.

I've taken a few photos over the last couple of days, but I haven't looked at them yet .. perhaps tomorrow. Food, birds, symmetry, flowers and bees.

It's almost 11pm.

I think I'll get an early night!

Nite all.

Relief

Headaches seem to be a common problem among my friends and family.

Headaches are generally caused by:

• Poor digestive health
• Dehydration
• Caffeine - either too much, or withdrawal from.
• Alcohol
• Sugar consumption
• Food intolerances
• Artificial food additives such as MSG, preservatives and colourings
• Mineral imbalances
• Vitamin B deficiency
• Prescription Drugs
• Artificial sweeteners
• Chemicals such as household cleaners, pesticides, perfumes etc
• Lack of grounding
• Lack of sunlight
• Chronic stress
• Tight muscles
• Misaligned skeletal system
• Smoking

I am very lucky because I rarely get headaches - perhaps once or twice a year - and when I do, I prefer to drink plenty of water and then sleep it off, rather than take any type of pain relief medication.

The most popular forms of pain relief are codeine and non-codeine. Non-codeine - ibuprofen, paracetamol and aspirin are most common. Codeine pain relievers are related to morphine and are used for chronic pain and are generally prescription medications.

If you suffer from a headache once a week or more, then you need to take a close look at your lifestyle and make some changes for the better.

• Eat a healthier diet full of fresh foods and remove processed foods
• Take good quality probiotics to improve gut health
• Reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake
• Drink more water
• Cut out sugar - read the labels on on everything because there is sugar in all packaged food
• Stop using artificial sweeteners - they are as bad, if not worse than sugar!
• Get yourself grounded - walk bare foot in your garden or on the beach (I will write a post tomorrow explaining more about grounding)
• Get 30 minutes of sunshine every day - this is my number one piece of advice for good mental and physical health
• Get a massage. Learn yoga. Meditate. See a chiropractor. These will cover/relieve chronic stress, tight muscles and misaligned skeletal system.
• Change your cleaning products to vinegar and water - chemical cleaners are completely unnecessary and we only buy them because clever advertising has convinced us that a house is not clean unless we use strong chemicals to kill the germs. Quite frankly, the chemicals are far more dangerous than any germ in our home.
• Check the side effects of your medication - talk to your doctor. You may need to reduce or change your meds to stop the headaches

The fact is, you should not be suffering from headaches and instead of popping pain pills every day/week/month, you should be investigating further and eliminating that which is causing your pain.

As with all forms of medication, there are side effects and long term effects of using pain relief medication on a regular basis:

• Headache (how ironic)
• Dizziness
• Thirst
• Ringing in the ears
• Fluid retention
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Bladder irritation including pain or frequent urination
• Anaemia
• Ulcers
• Kidney and Liver disorders
• Blurred vision
• Dry mouth

So pain medications are not as harmless as they seem - especially if they are being used on a regular basis.

It may be time to look more seriously at your pain relief habits.

Nite all.